Sunshine and hot winds blew across Sydney Harbor at 12 to 15 knots for this second day of the Australian Grand Prix. Perfect conditions for F50s with a 24-meter wingspan and large foils. “The conditions were really crazy,” said Manon Audinet, strategist of the France SailGP team. “It was the classic Sydney I imagined, because it was my first time on this legendary body of water. It feels good to be sailing again in the air. I really had a blast! These feelings of speed and interacting with other boats.” We forget how addictive it is. It's hot, it's intense and challenging, it's really cool.”
The restricted water course along the start line upwind of Shark Island again played tricks on the 10 national teams. In Race 4, only three boats managed to start on the top start. Among them was the German Eric Heil, who took his first victory in SailGP. French coach Thierry Touillard explained that “we were caught by doing our last maneuver a little too late and a little too far,” managing to get back to the middle of the pack before the foiling problem. A maneuver won't stop their F50. “We lost a lot, we finished 9th and it affects us very badly.”
9 points off the podium, the French knew at the start of race 5 that reaching the final would be difficult. “We have to go all out, scratch the little dot and hope the planets are aligned,” says Manon Audinet. That's exactly what the Blues did in the final fleet race of the day. “We really ticked everything: good start, good speed, laylines, edges on the right side…” But it wasn't enough to reach the final, the French missing out for the fourth time this season. “It's a great victory to finish this Grand Prix, it's good to finish it because we're a little disappointed to finish fourth again,” concludes Manon Audinet.
Next stop, Christchurch. See you at the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix on March 23rd and 24th.
They said:
Quentin Delapierre, France SailGP team pilot : “It's a very strange but interesting time in the game. I think we have to be patient and not let despair overcome us. If it passes, it really passes. I'm confident, this team can do better, it was very close, and we're there in the end. let's come
Winning a race at SailGP is always amazing. We're competing against the best in the world, so it's a nice reward for all the team work.
Today I blame myself because it came to nothing. Without this problem of foil hook on a zip, I think we should have finished it. We are fifth overall with a very difficult start to the season, so if the weather is good we will do badly. »
Thierry Douillard, coach of the France SailGB team : “We enter the last round with a very tough stage, 9 points ahead of us. The only thing left was to win the last round and see what happens. This is what the guys did so well. A fantastic race, super solid from start to finish, reflecting the state of the crew today. It's disappointing to be in 4th place, 2 points off the podium, but we finish on a positive note. Also, let's try to put things in perspective as we have gained two places in the general classification by taking points from our opponents. San Francisco still has a long way to go.
Special mention to Manon who was super solid. She returned very quickly after her maternity leave. This is a real asset to the team and bodes well for the great work ahead at the Grand Prix. »
Australia Sail Grand Prix Ranking
1- Australia / Tom Slingsby (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 1)
2- Rockwool DEN / Nicolai Sehested (2, 3, 2, 4, 4, 2)
3- New Zealand / Nathan Outteridge (3, 5, 1, 2, 7, 3)
4- France / Quentin Delabier (5, 4, 3, 9.1)
5- Spain / Diego Botin (4, 1, 8, 7, 6)
6- Germany / Eric Heil (8, 8, 5, 1, 9)
7- Emirates GBR / Giles Scott (9, 6, 7, 6, 5)
8- Switzerland / Sebastian Schneiter (7, 7, 6, 3, 10)
9- USA / Taylor Canfield (6, 9, 9, 10, 3)
10- Canada / Bill Robertson (10, 10, 10, 8, 2)
General Ranking SAILGP Season 4
After 8 Sail Grand Prix
1- Australia / Tom Slingsby – 66 points
2- New Zealand / Peter Burling – 58 points
3- Rockwool DEN / Nicolai Sehested – 52 points
4- Spain / Diego Botin – 48 points
5- France / Quentin Delabier – 45 points
6- Emirates GBR / Giles Scott – 45 pts
7- United States / Taylor Canfield – 45 points
8- Canada / Bill Robertson – 38 points
9- Germany / Eric Heil – 21 points
10- Switzerland / Sebastian Schneiter – 17 points
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